I have a bit of a crush on Portugal. I keep coming back for more. At the time of writing, easyJet , Transavia and Ryanair fly direct to Faro, but you can compare times and prices on sites like Skyscanner , Expedia and GoEuro. Lagos itself is extremely walkable, but we found it helpful to have a rental car to explore the rest of the Algarve. Food-wise, the Algarve is known for its cataplana, piri-piri chicken and naturally, given its location fresh fish and seafood.
Lagos is full of locals and tourists, but also expats and digital nomads with jobs like computer programming, teaching English abroad and copywriting — like me! Let me show you where to look…. We actually went to Silves for piri-piri chicken home to the famous Churrasqueira Valdemar but grilled steaks, chicken and black pork abound in Lagos as well. Vegetarians, however, might struggle: traditional Portuguese restaurants rely heavily on fish and meat, with very few vegetarian options.
Done well, grilled fish is a thing of flaky, milky beauty. And their grilled seabass was blessed with just the right amount of salt and butter to make it mouth-wateringly moreish. We also tried the garlic-fried shrimp which was utterly butterly and the octopus rice, which was steaming hot, soupy and generously portioned. O Pescador is the epitome of Portugal. A little more upscale than O Pescador but with a similar fishy theme is O Camilo : a modern, glass-clad restaurant perched on the clifftops a short walk along the coast from Lagos old town.
However, my biggest revelation was the wine we ordered: a vintage white blend of Bical, Arinto and Cercial graps from the Bairrada region, this smooth mover had spent one year in barrel and nine in bottle — lending it subtle oak, dried apricots and sultanas, and a touch of walnut and caramel.
The stuff of sommelier legends. We plumped for the seafood rice are you sensing a theme here? It was one of several rainy days when we visited A Forja, and this steaming cauldron of comfort food warmed us right up. Ask the internet where to find the best cataplana in Lagos, and all entries point in one direction: Casinha do Petisco.
